@GeorgeEdison Even if you don't modify any source, you have to "convey" the source to the end user. Just linking to a tarball download from an 'about' box is enough.
If nobody comes up with a good explanation what makes the two tags different, we should merge stock-android (× 63) with vanilla-android (× 28), making the first (and more intuitive for new users) the master, and the second a synonym to it.
Note: Questions about this originate in the comments on ...
eldarerathis was processing some with me today, and made me really happy with it -- so the list got a little shorter already (from 12 down to 9 should be)
Currently, root is a synonym to rooting. I want to propose separating the two:
"rooting" concerns the process of gaining root access to a device, as its tag-wiki (including the excerpt) describes. The majority of the questions reflect that.
"root" should be used in connection with issues involv...
Even has an upvote. No complaints. No tie to be seen :)
Oh, in the letter I should, maybe, withdraw "power-options" as they might be targeted at the menu opening on long pressing the power button. Need to check, mom...
Yes, looks like they mean the power-off menu. At least some of them.
Hmm I see upvotes on questions (or 'requests') on meta as "this topic is worth discussing". Ideally you could also post an answer that expresses your opinion which can be up- or down-voted.
@Izzy: Well I could drop an answer if you want for the merges that did happen. From what I can see, battery-charger and charger were merged into charging
And battery-manager was merged into power-management
As silly as it sounds, I'm still leaning toward the idea that having internal-sd and external-sd might be necessary (sdcard could map to external-sd very reasonably).
I really wish there was a better, user-accessible term for it. Like, "internal mass storage" or something, but with MTP/PTP that's not really even true
@Flow: Yeah, I renamed to device-firmware, but didn't make a synonym of the original "firmware" phrasing
And retagged some as needed
I just don't really know where it makes sense to point "firmware" to
Re: firmware, I don't know, but I'm not much of an expert on where that terminology originates from. I've only ever heard the term ROM used to refer to system images. My original though on "firmware" when people use the term was usually the actual firmware files
Like, the binaries that are distributed in driver packages and junk
Are there system messages in Android that use the term "internal storage"? Like, if you don't have enough space to install apps, it says "Internal storage full", right?
Just found the firmware tag (x38), where questions mostly refer to either rom (x78) or custom-rom (x141).
Suggestion:
remove the firmware from those questions already tagged custom-rom
merge firmware into rom
make firmware a synonym to rom
Though there's one more thing to consider: firmware ...
@Flow as to your first question (why I did upvote): I alwys thought on Meta upvote signalizes agreement. So as the one suggesting it, should I rather not agree? Just asking as I'm currently in the very same situation (rooting/root)
@eldarerathis So we should leave it as "undecidable", as we cannot find a clear path?
Part of me wonders if the difference between internal-sd (or something along those lines) and the more general internal-storage is even completely meaningful
The question would need to contain sufficient detail about which location in storage they were referring to in order to really be answerable
@eldarerathis yes, it is! You get the "insufficient memory" error only when the "phone memory" is full, even if there's plenty other storage. You won't get it the other way around.
@Izzy I don't understand the second part then. Upvoting is of course a signal of agreement. But ideally on answers. On questions I see it like "This topic is worthy to be discussed".
@Flow No second part -- the trouble was I misunderstood you, as you didn't see my (neutralized) upvote, and thus got confused. All clear now -- and I fully agree with you: Q+ = yes, let's discuss this, I like the idea -- A+ = I agree with this answer
@eldarerathis I'd say so. For MTP-only devices, internal-storage is clear (as it has no other, from a "simple user"'s point of view /system etc. can be ignored).
For the tag names: Would you two go for *-sdcard -- or rather *-sd, as the mount-point on devices featuring both is usually named /sdcard/external_sd?
@eldarerathis Yeah, a reason I'd never buy them. This week alone we had at least two questions where users couldn't retrieve their data anymore as the device became inaccessible. On my devices, I can at least pick the card, and have all my TiBu backups :)
@eldarerathis LOL only one? On my harddrive there are three already #D But none of them quite up-to-date. I always create one before flashing a new ROM. From there on, the ROM ülus TiBu should do.
Btw: To finish the "third candidate" of the power-stuff, I just created this tag-wiki
@Izzy: I generally keep 2 or 3 on the device, and 1 or 2 on an external drive. Usually I'll keep 2 and when I take a new backup I copy it over (so it's the 3rd on the drive) and delete the oldest one
I don't nandroid backup as often as I used to, though. I used to do it every time I flashed a CM update, but now I just use the auto-updater
@eldarerathis I never did it often. Always only before flashing.
@eldarerathis Yes, you're right! I'm fine with that. Only thing to keep in mind: people might start typing "sdcard", and only take a look at the auto-completion after the "c"...
@Izzy: My only concern would be any questions where power would make sense, but not power-management. I don't have any examples offhand, so I wonder if that's a realistic possibility or not
We're rather at a "patt" there. Some additional argument pro-merge: I own a HTC Wildfire (GSM), which also has a CDMA pendant (Buzz). No tag for the buzz either.
@Izzy: I'm not all that familiar with those two phones, but if they really are the same device with different radios then the convention seems to be to use a single tag in most cases, like you note.
I think I will merge them. I don't see a meaningful reason to keep that one separate when the others are not. Plus it's a stupid name for a phone: Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4g Touch
@Izzy: I tend to agree, but I think I'll hold off for now and maybe poke @Flow and Matthew Read to see if they have any additional thoughts (since they both had opposite answers on that request)
Since I know the Epic 4g Touch has no meaningful difference to the regular SGS2 I'm comfortable with that merge
So some LG devices do indeed have an internal SD partition and support for external SD cards, but the internal storage is not MTP mounted at /sdcard. It's an entirely separate partition
OK, so you haven't. LG has some "remote service" pre-installed and nags the customer to agree they can access the device anytime. You can only "Agree" or "cancel". If canceled, you're asked again. Within the hour...
I have no objections to that in theory, my only other thought would be that we need to try to make sure root doesn't turn into a "meta tag" to mean "BTW guys, my device is rooted"
I can think of reasons to use root legitimately, too, though
(e.g. "How do I grant root permission to an app?" or something)
I will make that clear from the excerpt on. Only trouble: I have my doubts somebody reads even those. Why then would they freely tag their question "development" if they had read the excerpt even?
@eldarerathis If that's the price to pay, I'll gladly do :)
@eldarerathis I've learned so much when cleaning up tags and writing wikis! One reason I love to do that.
Besides, one day I want to bring up another issue: How can we draw the average users attention to the tag excerpts at least, and to the tag wikis in special? I put a lot of effort into them, making many of them places for first-aid even. I don't know how many questions would not need to be asked if those people had read the tag wiki of the tag they used!
Tag wikis are kind of the neglected child of the Stack Exchange engine. They're great if you use them and read them, but there's nothing that compels you to do either
Me neither. Nobody seems to read the FAQ (until he notices he'd get a badge for it). That's it! Bronce badge for having read 100 full tag wikis, silver for 750?
@Izzy: That one I personally don't agree with. I know it's confusing, and people use the terms interchangeably, but it doesn't make them correct.
So if we want to be accurate, they should be separate
I do see the other side of this though, which is that we should just make the tags reflect what people are going to actually understand (if I'm interpreting the other arguments I've seen correctly, anyway)
@izzy @eldarerathis I still stand by my position in the referenced Meta post, but I think this is too much discussion over what I perceive to be a non-issue. Have you noticed any problems with having these device tags unmerged?
If we don't need to do anything ... we don't need to do anything :P
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